Solid particle spray apparatus



June 28, 1966 R. K. CODY SOLID PARTICLE SPRAY APPARATUS ,4 TOR/V575 I/VI/E/VTOR R0555 K. Copy Filed Aug. 25, 1963 United States Patent Ofi 3,258,207 Patented June 28, 1966 ice This invention generally relates to spray devices for applying liquiform products such as asphalt emulsions to a roof or other surface, and is more particularly directed towards such a device which is capable of applying a combination liquiform product and dry solid product to such a surface.

Over the past number of years, considerable progress has been made in the field of spraying of liquiform products. With presently available equipment it is possible to apply even highly viscous products, such as asphaltic emulsions, to a surface with selective spray pat-terns. By way of example, commercial equipment has been developed which is capable of distributing the liquiform product to a vertical or horizontal surface in the form of a fiat conical projection either with or without the use of air as a propelling medium for the product. 'In other Words, as the product leaves the discharge nozzles of the gun, it may be caused to fan out in a substantially single plane so that a relatively wide strip of surface may be uniformly covered as the gun traverses such surface.

However, in many instances, it is desirable to apply a dry solid material simultaneously with the liquiform product, and heretofore, numerous problems have been encountered in attempting to get a uniform dispersal of the two materials so that a dry material would follow the controlled spray pattern of the liquiform product. While the spray of the latter could be selectively controlled, difiiculty was present in attempting to control the shape of the dry solids. Thus, where installations, such as long wearing weatherproofiing, dictated the incorporation of solids such as perlite, glass fibers or chopped glass, aluminum chips, garnet, or the like, no adequate method or apparatus has been available.

It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for the simultaneous spraying of a liquiform product and dry solid materials in which both of the ingredients will be properly and uniformly dispersed after leaving the spray gun and applied to the surface being sprayed, particularly in a desired flat conical pattern.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the type described in which the dry solid discharge may be of substantial circular cross sectional shape so as to avoid the danger of clogging, and in which means are incorporated for causing the solids to assume a flat diverging pattern so as to cover a relatively wide strip of surface.

A further object of the instant invention is to provide a method and apparatus of the character described in which the solid material may be caused to flatten out as it approaches its discharge point, and is then caused to fan out after leaving the discharge point.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide apparatus as above defined in which a pair of liquiform spray nozzles are provided on opposite sides of a dry solid discharge tube, and opposed controlled air jets directed across the discharge of the tube are provided intermediate such nozzles whereby the pattern of the solids may be varied from a thin stream such as for strip seaming to a wide flat conical shape generally coextensive with the widthof the liquid pattern.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to :be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of the spray apparatus of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view taken substantially in the plane indicated by line 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view, similar to FIG- URE 3, and illustrating the spray pattern for both the dry solid material and the liquiform product as viewed from the end of the apparatus.

FIGURE 5 is another diagrammatic view of the spray pattern viewed from the side of the apparatus.

Before discussing the specific apparatus and method disclosed herein, attention is directed to FIGURES 4 and 5 of the drawing wherein a desired spray pattern is disclosed for the dry solids and the liquiform product. In general, the liquid spray pattern 12 is indicated in dash lines and is provided for by a pair of converging spray nozzles 13, 14, each nozzle producing a flat conical pattern, with the liquid spray point of convergence occurring centrally between the nozzles, and the liquid from each nozzle thereafter merging into a single plane while maintaining its flat conical shape illustrated in FIGURE 5 for engaging a surface 16. As will be understood, when in use, the apparatus as shown in FIGURE 5 will be moved normal to the plane of the drawing so that the surface 16 will be sprayed with a strip equal to the maximum divergence of the pattern 12 on the surface. The specific width of the strip will of course depend on the nozzle configuration and on the spacing between such nozzles and the surface 16. As to the solid material spray pattern indicated at 17 by the dash-dot lines, it will be noted that the material emerges from the discharge end of a tube 18 intermediate the nozzles 13, 14, and may then be caused to adopt the flat conical diverging shape illustrated. Preferably, the width of the liquid pattern on the surface 16 is slightly greater than the width of the solid pattern in order to prevent any of the dry materials from blowing away. in any event, it will be appreciated that if the dry solid particles can be caused to follow the pattern 17, such particles will be properly uniformly distributed and dispersed with the liquid. Also, if desired, the solids may be caused to follow a narrow pattern 20 indicated in dotted lines within the lateral extent of the conical liquid pattern such as for strip seaming or the like.

To accomplish the foregoing, the apparatus shown in FIGURES 1 to 3 may be effectively employed. Briefly, this type of apparatus is frequently referred to in the roofing trade as a pole gun, and is conventionally provided with one or more liquid spray nozzles and a separate passage for the dry solid material, and suitable means for projecting the liquid and solids through their respective passages. Since the pumps, compressors and like accessories are well known in the art for propelling the products, no showing thereof has been made in the drawing, so that the latter may better reflect the particular contribution incorporated in the present invention.

Referring to the drawing, the gun will be seen to include the tube 18 through which the dry solid product is projected by an air compressor or other suitable source of propelling power. A separate liquid supply conduit 21 is adapted to be connected to a source of liquiform product, and the liquid pumped or otherwise propelled there through. Conduit 21 is provided with a Y fitting 22 from which a pair of liquid conduits 23, 24 emerge, such latter conduits terminating adjacent the discharge outlet 26 of the tube 18 on generally diametrically opposed sides of me latter. Conventional spray nozzles 13 and 14 are provided on the ends of conduits 23 and 24 to provide the liquid spray pattern 12 previously discussed.

It has been found that the solid particles, whether of a granular character or intermixed strands of fiber glass or the like, in passing through a circular cross section tube, will be generally uniformly distributed throughout the cross section thereof. Consequently, on discharge, it is not conventionally possible to cause the solids to assume the flat conical dispersion pattern 17. While it might seem possible to provide for such a pattern by making the outlet 26 of a flat elongated shape, experiments have indicated that such a shaped outlet induces clogging or jamming of the solids at the outlet.

In accordance with the present invention, means are provided to change the cross-sectional distribution of the solids from either a generally circular or a different configuration emerging from the tube outlet 26 into the fan-like dispersion pattern 17. This is accomplished by providing inwardly directed jets of air across the discharge outlet 26 in the form and manner best shown in FIG- URE 2 to attain the desired optimum dispersion pattern. One pair of air jet nozzles 31 and 32 is positioned substantially equally between the liquid spray nozzles 13, 14 on one side of the outlet 26, and in opposed relation to the jets 31 and 32 on the other side of the outlet 26 is a second pair of additional air jet nozzles 33 and 34. The nozzles are adapted to be supplied with compressed air through a conduit 36 in which a suitable valve 37 may be operatively positioned, such conduit being operatively connected to branch conduits 38 and 39 leading to the respective pairs of nozzles.

Each of the nozzles 31, 32, 33 and 34 are directed across the tube outlet 26 normal to a diameter 36 of the tube on which the liquid spray nozzles 13 and 14 are disposed, and as will be noted particularly in FIGURES 1 and 5 of the drawing, the jet nozzles are angularly 0&- set slightly in the direction of flow of product through tube 18. The particular relationship and position of the jet nozzles is very important to achieve the desired results, and in this connection particular reference is made to FIGURE 2. As illustrated, nozzles 32 and 33 which comprise what might be termed the outermost nozzles along diameter 36 each intersect the latter at a spacing of one-eighth the tube diameter from opposite ends of the diameter. Nozzle 31 lies medially of nozzles 33 and 34 and nozzle 34 lies medially of nozzles 31 and 32. Thus, assuming a one inch diameter of tube 18, the spacing of nozzle 32 from one end of diameter 36 would be oneeighth inch, the spacing between nozzles 32 and 34 would be one-quarter inch, the spacing between nozzles 34 and 31 would be one-quarter inch, the spacing between nozzles 31 and 33 would be one-quarter inch, and finally, the spacing of nozzle 33 from the other end of diameter 36 would be one-eighth inch.

With the foregoing arrangement, not only will the solids be acted upon equally by forces in opposite directions, but such solids wil emerge from outlet 26 in the desired flat pattern.

In some instances, the solids may have already assumed a relatively flat configuration before leaving the tube 18, such as where the tube is curved adjacent the outlet, as shown at 41. With this construction, the solids will, through centrifugal force, be forced against the outermost portion of the curved tube portion and thus be closer to the nozzles 33 and 34 than if the tube was straight and the solids uniformly dispersed throughout the crosssectional area of the tube. Irrespective of this variation, the jet nozzle arrangement above described adequately fulfills its requisite functions.

In practice, it has been found that the width of the solid spray pattern 17 is directly related to the opening of valve 37, i.e., the greater the amount of air, the wider the pattern. obtained in varying the pattern of the solids from that indicated at 20 to that indicated at 17, and optimum application of the dry and liquid products is effected.

What is claimed is:

1. Spray apparatus including a central tubular member adapted to convey solid particles and having a generally circular discharge outlet, a pair of liquid spray nozzles positioned on opposite sides of said member and along a first diameter of said outlet, said spray nozzles being aligned to spray liquid generally axially of said member while towards and generally perpendicular to a second diameter of said outlet perpendicular to said first diameter, air nozzle means positioned on opposite sides of said member and directed generally perpendicular towards said first diameter of the outlet in a manner to cause solid particles emerging from said outlet to flatten out along said second diameter.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including air valve means for varying the rate of air flow through said air nozzle means and thereby control the pattern of the discharged solid particles.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 in which each of said liquid spray nozzles produces a generally flat conical pattern generally parallel to said second diameter but merging towards each other at a location axially spaced from said outlet.

4. Apparatus of the character described comprising a central tube adapted to convey solid particles and having a discharge outlet, a pair of generally parallel first air nozzles positioned adjacent said outlet and directed towards said tube to laterally impinge upon particles discharged from said outlet, a pair of generally parallel second air nozzles directed in a contradirection to and laterally offset from said first nozzles to laterally impinge upon said discharged particles on the opposite side of said outlet from said first nozzles, and a pair of opposed liquid spray nozzles with each of such liquid spray nozzles positioned between said first and second pairs of air nozzles, said liquid spray nozzles being directed in general alignment with the flow of particles through said outlet and further directed generally perpendicular to the axes of said air nozzles.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4 in which said air nozzles are each directed normal to a diameter of said tube along which said liquid spray nozzles are disposed, and in which the air nozzles are laterally offset from each other and are positioned substantially equidistant along said diameter.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,936,997 11/1933 String 239-336 2,3 64,717 12/1944 Huss 239543 2,683,625 7/1954 Fisher 239336 3,038,750 6/1962 Nielsen 239422 3,039,702 6/ 1962 Shelton 239*296 FOREIGN PATENTS 917,722 9/1954 Germany. 520,932 5/1940 Great Britain.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

EVERETT W. KIRBY, Examiner.

R. S. STROBEL, Assistant Examiner.

In this manner, extreme accuracy may be 

1. SPARY APPARATUS INCLUDING A CENTRAL TUBULAR MEMBER ADAPTED TO CONVEY SOLID PARTICLES AND HAVING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR DISCHARGE OUTLET, A PAIR OF LIQUID SPRAY NOZZLES POSITIONED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID MEMBER AND ALONG A FIRST DIAMETER OF SAID OUTLET, SAID SPRAY NOZZLES BEING ALIGNED TO SPRAY LIQUID GENERALLY AXIALLY OF SAID MEMBER WHILE TOWARDS AND GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TO A SECOND DIAMETER OF SAID OUTLET PERPENDICULAR TO SAID FIRST DIAMETER, AIR NOZZLE MEANS POSITIONED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SID MEMBER AND DIRECTED GENERALLY PERPENDICULAR TOWARDS SAID FIRST DIAMETER OF THE OUTLET IN A MANNER TO 